Ignore videos claiming to show former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua visiting Odinga’s rural home
IN SHORT: Viral videos claim to show that Rigathi Gachagua, who was notably absent during the funeral of former prime minister Raila Odinga, subsequently visited Odinga’s rural home in Bondo to pay his respects, accompanied by large crowds. But the videos are either made up of old clips or generated using artificial intelligence tools.
A TikTok video and a YouTube version posted on 26 October 2025 claim to show former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua visiting Bondo, escorted by a large crowd.
Another TikTok video with over 1.2 million views makes the same claim, showing a split screen featuring two different clips of Gachagua being welcomed by large crowds.
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Bondo, in Siaya county, western Kenya, is Raila Odinga’s rural home. The longtime opposition leader and former prime minister died on 15 October 2025 in India and was given a state funeral before being laid to rest in his hometown.
The videos appear to show that Gachagua travelled to Bondo to mourn Odinga. This claim has gained traction because while Odinga’s funeral activities drew national and international attention, with prominent figures attending, Gachagua did not take part at all, having been one of Odinga’s fiercest political rivals.
His absence sparked public debate and mixed reactions online. In the days following the funeral, speculation grew that Gachagua planned to make a private visit to Bondo to pay his respects.
Around the same time, some leaders of the Orange Democratic Movement, the party that Odinga headed, condemned controversial remarks made by Gachagua ally and Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga about Odinga, but warned Gachagua against setting foot in Bondo.
Soon after, claims emerged that Gachagua had visited Bondo, seemingly supported by comments by Kisumu senator and Odinga ally Tom Ojienda, who suggested that Gachagua was indeed there.
The viral videos appear to offer proof of this visit, showing him being received by cheering crowds. But is this true? We checked.
AI-generated video clips
Together, the videos have attracted over 300,000 views and thousands of likes.
The first-mentioned TikTok clip shows Gachagua walking ahead of a large crowd along a dirt road, while audio from one of his past speeches plays.
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The same footage is reused in the YouTube version, which combines it with scenes of a convoy of luxury vehicles on a highway and commentary suggesting that Gachagua had gone to console the Odinga family.
But two of them are generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While the still image in the video thumbnail appears to show Gachagua, a closer look once the video starts playing reveals clear signs of AI-generation.
Some of the faces in the crowd distort and stretch as they move, and the people do not resemble typical Kenyan crowds. Instead they appear to be composites of digitally generated black African faces, a common feature in low-quality AI videos attempting to depict African gatherings.
Old footage in the mix
A reverse image search shows that the convoy footage used in the YouTube video was actually captured in early July 2025. It shows opposition leaders travelling along the Kisumu-Busia highway.
The video showing two clips of Gachagua among large crowds also uses old, unrelated footage. One is from November 2024, filmed in the central Kenya county of Embu, and another is from August 2025, taken of Gachagua’s much-reported return from a visit to the United States.
There is also no credible evidence that Gachagua has visited Bondo. No major media outlet has reported such an event, and there have been no official updates from Gachagua, his party, or the Odinga family.
Given the high level of public interest in Odinga’s death and Gachagua’s notable absence, any visit would likely have been widely covered by the press.
The claims that the videos show Gachagua visiting Bondo to pay his respects to Odinga’s family are false.
